Today much of the Church celebrates the Ascension of Jesus. Appearing among the disciples and others after the resurrection, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven.

There in heaven abides in the risen Flesh—the same Flesh we share with Christ by our humanity, by our faith, and by sacrament. Now, in a new and real way, we participate in the very life and nature of God—because Christ has ascended. Our life, as Paul said, is hidden with God in Christ (Col 3:3).

That’s the theological gift of the Ascension. By faith and sacraments, we now share in God’s life. Our prayers ascend by the Spirit in Christ to the Father. Our God is not distant; God is more than close to us. We are not alone. We are in Christ in God. All shall be well.

But aside from this theology, important as it is, what’s interesting to me is that after Jesus ascended, Luke says the disciples returned to Jerusalem and to the temple to pray and praise (Lk 24:52-53). They were waiting for the promised Spirit, which would come at Pentecost. This, I think, is the lesson for us, how it can become real for us. By you and I going into the house of the Lord, praising and praying—not staying away, waiting for the Holy Spirit.

That’s how the Ascension of Christ will come to be real for you, how your destiny in Christ will become real. By coming to Church, by praying and praising and waiting on the Spirit of God. It’s a simple invitation. You just need simply to take it.